The following article is the second of a four-part series that features the life of Augustus Pugin, the renown English Catholic architect of the nineteenth century. The first article is found here. Long before Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin accepted the tenets of Catholicism, he absorbed its culture. Like many young men, Pugin … Read more
When considering sublime things, Saint Louis IX’s Sainte-Chapelle naturally comes to mind. Indeed, the definition of the sublime is “that which overawes us by its grandeur and beauty.” When most people go to see this gem of civilization in Paris, they oftentimes see a reflection of this chapel before they even step … Read more
In 1917 at Fatima, Our Lady called Russia a scourge but also foretold its immense potential for a spiritual turnaround. Fast-forward to today, and Vladimir Putin’s attempt to demoralize Ukraine has ironically become the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church’s greatest cause for conversion in a century. Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv notes … Read more
The synodal process inaugurated by Pope Francis is working toward the complete transformation of the Catholic Church that the Argentine Pope desired: “In this Church, as in an inverted pyramid, the top is located beneath the base.” In other words, Pope Francis’s “Synodal Church” will be an egalitarian church. But more than … Read more
The dinner table was once a sacred space. The dining room was a domestic sanctuary where families and friends gathered to share meals, exchange ideas, and occasionally argue over politics and religion. Children learned first principles, manners and valuable life lessons from their parents that are rarely taught elsewhere. Today, however, this … Read more
On February 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin’s Russian military conducted a surprise invasion of Ukraine. At the time, most of the world’s military experts agreed on two things. The first was that the attack was unjustified. The second was that it would probably succeed within days. The imbalance between the strength of Russia’s … Read more
Reading the recent report of the Synod on Synodality’s Study Group No. 7 on the selection of bishops reminded me of a rather memorable, let us say, fairly tumultuous episode that took place in the parish of my adolescent years in Chile. It was May 1969, six months after the occupation of … Read more
There is something profoundly unacceptable in the Notre-Dame stained-glass window affair: an appalling alliance to impose the ideological mark of modernity on the historic cathedral in Paris that was recently restored. The powers that be want to change a sector of windows from the nineteenth century with modernistic ones. On one side … Read more
Is abortion a “settled” issue in Europe? At first glance, it certainly seems so. In most European countries, the battle to decriminalize abortion was fought—and won—in the sixties and seventies. With the exception of Poland and a few tiny countries like Liechtenstein, abortion is widely available and often fully funded by taxpayers. … Read more
America’s public sidewalks became places of prayer this past week as parents, grandparents, and supporters met to pray to God for the protection of children from porn and LGBTQ materials in libraries and schools. The 1,223 public rosary rallies asked Our Blessed Mother for help protecting children who are exposed directly and … Read more